By Chimezie Godfrey
The Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, has urged States Focal Persons to be more proactive in the delivery of National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), especially to the most vulnerable people in the country.
Stating this on Monday in Abuja, during an interactive session with the States Focal Persons, the Minister said the purpose of the meeting was to map out ways to improve the NSIP delivery worldwide, share regional best practices and lessons learnt within the states.
Others are to strategize on means of strengthening and sustaining the programme, devise strategies to strengthen the NSIP value chain and improve the public and private sector support.
“The meeting will further enable the programme managers, in this case the State Focal Persons, to be more proactive and strategic in the delivery of this important programme most especially to the most vulnerable in the society.
“There is no doubt in my mind therefore that the creation of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development will provide the much needed coordination and necessary supervision with a view to adequately institutionalise the entire process for enhanced sustainability,” she added.
Farouq said the programme has potentials to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2023, increase school enrolment in some parts of the country and create more jobs for the youths in different sectors of the economy.
She further disclosed that in June 2016, the World Bank Group approved $500 million International Development Association, IDA, credit to support the establishment of programmes targeted at economic development in Nigeria.
She added that the Nigerian government pledged an additional $1.3 billion from its budget to create the Social Safety Net programmes, which came to be known as the National Social Investment programme.
According to her, over four million Nigerians have directly benefitted from job training, financial assistance and social development through these programmes so far.
Earlier, in his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Tijjani Idris Umar, who was posted to the Ministry recently, reiterated the objectives of NSIP.
He expressed the Ministry’s delight in hosting the interactive session, which is part of the deliberate strategy to actualise the goals of this administration in youth empowerment and poverty alleviation in the country.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, the Chairman of the State Focal Persons, Mallam Bala Usman, commended the Ministry for inviting the Focal Persons to discuss on the progress, achievements and challenges of the programme in the various States.
He noted that they were the key actors and implementers of the programme and so far that the NSIP has impacted hugely on the Nigerian youths.
